


Never Say Goodbye

by Hazardoustorm



Series: A Goodbye To Run From [1]
Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amity Really Needs to Work on Communication, Angst, Auxilary Emira/Viney, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Divergent, Canon Lesbian Character, Climatic End, Complete, Crushes, Definitely Non Canon Magic, Drama, F/F, First Time, Friendship, Gay Disaster Amity Blight, Helpful Twins, Lesbian Amity Blight, Lots of threads, Lumity, Lumity is the focus, Mentioned Trauma Later, My First Fanfic, Mystery, One Scene One Page, POV Amity Blight, Post-Episode: s01e19 Young Blood Old Souls, Tags Are Hard, They tie together eventually, Well Amity is the focus but she's crushing hard, first fic, goodbyes suck, no beta we die like men, plot heavy, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 11,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27770518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazardoustorm/pseuds/Hazardoustorm
Summary: One month after YBOS, Eda reveals she has an emergency key back to the human realm, but it's a one way ticket.Luz tells Amity, and Amity doubles down on her secret efforts to create a spell to bring Luz to and from home.If only it were as easy as it sounded...
Relationships: Amity Blight & Willow Park, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Emira Blight/Viney
Series: A Goodbye To Run From [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189142
Comments: 168
Kudos: 78





	1. Day 1 [Afternoon]

“Hey Amity! Over here!” A now familiar voice loud whispers for me from a bush outside Hexsides. The same voice that’s filled my waking and sleeping dreams. Luz.

A blush already threatens to cover my face as I look around to check if anyone’s watching before ducking towards the source of the voice. Quickly brushing aside the thorny bushes, I see Luz crouched in the shadows. She gives an uncharacteristically calm half smile and motions for me to follow her further into the woods, away from the school and any likely eavesdroppers. _Just following Luz into the woods. Alone. Oh Titan…_

Ever since the debacle with Emperor Belos and Eda and Lilith, Luz was forced to drop out of Hexside. It was the worst day of my life when I heard all the details of what happened. The knowledge of what the Emperor was really like quickly drove me away from my lifelong ambition of his personal coven. And the knowledge Luz nearly died at Lilith’s hand would have led me to want her dead in and of itself, but Luz was trying to forgive Lilith’s mistakes so I would too. That all isn’t even touching the fact that I both realized Luz was incredibly homesick and now couldn’t go home. I’ve spent all my freetime trying to figure out some spell to get Luz home, if for nothing else than to bring back that genuine smile back to this amazing human’s face. She never stopped smiling, but since that day there hasn’t been the same energy. _Titan how I’ve missed my happy-go-lucky Luz._

Luz eventually stops us at a small clearing, which I have to assume she cleared beforehand given the lack of dangerous flora and fauna. She quietly stands and waits for me to catch up to her before giving another half smile, “I have something I have to tell you.”

 _Oh no._ “Is everything okay? Are you okay?” My worry for her has immediately cleared any of my usual flusterness.

She takes a deep breath and centers herself. “Eda said she had an emergency key, So I actually can go home… See my mami…” Luz awkwardly rubs the back of her head. _Titan be damned she is so cute when- wait what?_

I stare at her for a moment, “Y- You- You’re going to go home?” A breath passes before a more important question pushes its way to the forefront of my mind, “How long until you come back?”

She purses her lips, “Well, the reason Eda waited a month to tell me about it- besides somehow forgetting it existed- was that it’s a one way ticket.” The too adorable for this world human looks down at her shoes. “And she only has one. I couldn’t come back… Ever.”

 _Oh._ “Wha- I- When- When do you leave?” For some reason that’s the only question that matters right now.

“Whenever I want- I mean it is a key I can just use. But we don’t want to risk Belos finding out about it so the sooner the better…” She continues talking but it sounds muted. Far away. 

True fear grips my heart. I’ve faced Grometheus with Luz and this moment is the most pain and fear I’ve faced. _I’m_ _going to_ _lose Luz. She'll leave and never look back… No! I’ll figure it out. I’ll figure out how to take her home and get her back to me too.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sooooo much for reading this!!!!  
> You all are in for quite the ride for this one :P  
> I have the next few chapters ready, so I'll be updating this fic on Tuesday's and Saturdays!
> 
> This is my first fic I've ever posted so any feedback would be amazing!  
> Leave a comment or kudos if you want to give me a boost of seratonin :D
> 
> And check out my new public Twitter if you want to see me lots of random bs (@Hazardoustorm)


	2. Day 1: [Late Night]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity's struggles haven't been unnoticed by the twins. Now will she actually let them help?

_ Another dead end. _ In front of me lies my latest research from the past month. I’ve learned a lot about dimensions and portals, but not enough to help Luz. My room is the messiest it’s ever been, which is to say mostly orderly to avoid the wrath of my parents. However, at the moment, there are a large number of library books, notebooks, and loose papers strewn across my desk. 

I lean back and groan. “Who am I even kidding? Emperor Belos is interested in getting to the human world. If I could find it this easily, he already would be doing whatever he wanted.”

The door opens behind me and I hear two sets of footsteps enter my room, “Who’d be doing what, mittens?” Ed questions loudly, not seeming to care about their intruding presence. He shuts the door behind him and leans on the doorframe casually. 

As has become the habit whenever anyone enters my room, I quickly sweep all my research into a hidden compartment and stand to face them. With a scoff, I give the twins a dirty look, “What’d you two want?”

Em gives a nonchalant shrug as she leans on the opposite side of the door to Ed, but meets my gaze with a worried one, “Just to check in on our baby sister. Make sure she’s not boring herself to death with school.”

My eyes fall to my unopened backpack next to my bed.  _ Crap. I haven’t even thought about homework yet. _ Not wanting to give them any pleasure in knowing my thus far fruitless research, I just shrug, “School’s not that bad.”  _ Please just believe that and leave. _

Ed raises an eyebrow, but I can tell he’s just as worried as Em, “Really? You’ve been holed up either here or your secret nook for the past month. If it’s not school…” He squints his eyes, “... what is it?”

_ Or call my bluff. _ “Nothing you need to know.” A silence falls between us as a very mean idea pops into my head, “Or would you like to invade my privacy again and steal my diary?”

Ed’s eyes betray his hurt at my suggesting they would do that again. He’s genuinely at a loss of words. I know they wouldn’t even think of doing that, and frankly they’ve been pretty good siblings recently. But I don’t need them butting their head into this. Unfortunately, or fortunately probably, Em sees through my second bluff, “You know we’d never do that again mittens. We just want to help.” She gives her strongest worried older sister look.

“Fine, it’s not school. I’m not telling you what it is though. you couldn’t help anyways.” I acquiesce. Of course that just prompts more questioning looks from the twins, so I add, “I’ve scoured the library and every bookstore in bonesborough. I can’t find anything about it.”

With a tilted head, Ed posits, “Books don’t have much helpful information, why not ask for help? Maybe from your very available older siblings?”

I scoff, “You two only know about illusions… But that is a good point.”

Em leans in, “We know people at the very least. Let us help point you in a direction?”

“Nope, still not telling you anything.” I hold my head high for a moment before dropping it tiredly, “But thanks for that idea. I think I know just who to visit tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all soo much for the positive responses!! Really excites me to write more :)
> 
> I'm making good progress on future chapters so I've decided that this fic will be updated every Saturday and Tuesday!
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos if you want to give me a boost of seratonin :D
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	3. Day 2 [Morning]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity's itching to get help, but little miss perfect can't skip school. Too bad she didn't get much sleep last night...

*Yawn* I tickle my locker and grab my "History of The Abomination Coven" textbook. Despite Ed and Em's advice, I couldn't exactly leave the house in search of help then and there, so I spent the night bouncing between my usual coursework and going over my research for any clue I'd missed. Of course, all that meant is that I barely slept. 

It's a struggle to walk to my first class. Which is to say, by the time lunch rolls around I'm barely keeping my eyes open. I grab my food and take my now usual seat to wait for Willow and Gus. Despite our unfortunate history, the two have been extremely amicable. More than I deserve if I'm honest, but it's been a welcome oasis in the otherwise cold and stressful school. Gus has been interesting to get to know, but Willow is the real reason I still sit at this table. Despite years of bullying, she's given me a second chance. More than that, she welcomed me back with open arms as I've remembered how life was before the constant stress of being little miss perfect. 

Willow catches my head before it falls into today's meal, "You okay Amity? You're literally falling asleep in your lunch."  _ When did they get here? _

I grunt and shake my head, "No- yea. I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep last night."

Gus tilts his head, "Working on your secret project again? You know, if you would tell us what it was, we could probably help." 

“No. You can’t help.” My hasty tone immediately shuts down the young witch, who visibly deflates. Guilt surges in me so I quickly throw in, “Sorry. It's been very hard to find any books on it so I'm going to ask the only person who's actually done it before."

Willow squints at me, "Does this project have anything to do with Luz leaving soon?" 

Part of me wants to deny it, like I have the past month; but Willow’s knowing glare burrows deep into me. I sigh and pick at the untouched food in front of me, “Yea. It’s for Luz...”

Gus leans towards me, “Ooooo. Is it a goodbye gift? I was thinking of getting her something. But I can’t think of anything. And willow keeps saying we should just hang out with her while we can…” He deflates a little at the tail of that statement.

The table falls silent as that idea settles into our darker, more sad thoughts of the human leaving. Eventually, Willow sighs melancholically, “It’ll be weird when she’s gone.” Then she covers her frown with a smile and looks me in the eyes, “But that’s why we need to make the most of these last days with her.”

I nod and mumble some agreement. But I can’t feel sated with that idea. The two continue talking and I occasionally chime an affirmation or mumbled response. But my mind is focused on the research.  _ These won’t be Luz’s last days. I’ll figure this out and get her home and back again. No matter how many hours it takes. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all soo much for the positive responses!! Really excites me to write more :)  
> Been hitting the big sad, but it's always a blast to see more kudos and comments!  
> So, leave a comment or kudos if you want to give me a boost of seratonin :D
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	4. Day 2 [Afternoon]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity finally goes looking for the help she needs, but ends up seeing someone she didn't exactly want to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a little later than usual, today has been a day... But the chapter is here!

I step through the underbrush and into the clearing the Owl Lady’s house is in. The uneven home somehow looks identical to when I first saw it a couple months ago, despite the increase in various damages and patch jobs. Of course at the front of it sits the insane demon owl whatever. The second I’m within view, it extrudes out grotesquely towards me and screams, “Oooo. Whooooo’s this? Someone- Ahhhh.” It screeches once it gets close, and immediately recoils back to the house, “Not you! Get away from here.”  _ Guess my last visit did scare it. _

The door is thrown open before I cross the clearing completely, and Lilith walks out, “What are you hollering about now Hooty? I swear if it’s another shadow I will-” She notices me and immediately freezes. “Oh- Miss Blight. I didn’t expect you. What brings you here?”

Despite the fact I’ve come here a handful of times in the past month, I’ve barely talked to my old mentor. Luz has barely forgiven her, and there’s no way I will after learning how she nearly killed my favorite human. I was pretty nervous coming here to talk to the Owl Lady, but no emotion comes through now, “Hi Miss Clawthorne. I’m actually here to see the Owl Lady about something I’ve been researching. Is she around?”

The ex-coven leader shakes her head and deflates, “No. Edalyn is still out with Luz. They went to the Knee for some hijinks… Can I ask what your research is about?” She perks a little.

Now it’s my turn to shake my head, “No. It’s something only the Owl Lady has dabbled in I-”  _ No. The Emperor is also working on dimensional magic… And here is his former right hand woman. But should I trust her? _ “-think…”

She purses her lips and thinks for a second before sighing and looking at her feet. For the first time, she looks genuinely timid, “I’ve said it before, but I don’t think I’ve said it enough to you. I apologize for my actions. At the convention. With Luz. All of it. I’ll likely spend the rest of my cursed life trying to repent for all my mistakes. But I have spent my life up to now studying every form of magic imaginable. If you’ll have me, I might be able to keep your time at the very least until Edalyn and Luz are back in a few hours.”

I think in circles for a moment, but decide to take the plunge.  _ Anything for Luz. _ With a careful step forward, I give a wary smile, “Maybe it would be good to get your input. But I need you to swear to secrecy… With an everlasting oath.”

Her eyes widen at that last comment, "How do you even know how to do one of those?!" I shrug and she just scoffs, "Children these days. Alright, as long as you word it correctly to be for this specific knowledge that should be fine." 

_ Well, she definitely is trying hard to get back on my good side. Might as well be reciprocal. _ I finally close the distance and hold out my hand, "Alright. So you swear to never tell anyone any details of or relating to the specific research I will share with you shortly, unless I explicitly give you permission?" 

With a look of shock and amazement, "Very thorough Miss Blight, yes I swear to not reveal any information about your research to anyone unless you give the go ahead." 

A quick circle and handshake later and the oath is made. I sigh and look at the old witch in the eye, "Let's get inside then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all soo much for the positive responses!! Really excites me to write more :)
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos if you want to give me a boost of seratonin :D  
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	5. Day 2 [Evening]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith and Amity work together to create the spell, but how long will this last?

Lilith finishes the 57th glyph sketch she's attempted so far, "Alright. Now this would complete the circle and eliminate the need for existing connections with an absorption element." 

"But it wouldn't scale. You'd need a pouch of each ingredient to send a snail, a house full to send King, and a bonesborough full to send a person." I dismissively add. I kick the table, knocking over one of the old textbooks Lilith had pulled out. "It's hopeless! We need the Owl Lady. She's the only one who's actually gone to the human world." 

“We’re making progress at least.” The elder witch shrugs, "And, well, she's the only witch recently from what I know, but Edalyn is far from the only witch to cross over. And I highly doubt she made the keys in the first-." 

Suddenly a door upstairs bangs shut and a moment later King hops downstairs dragging his blanket," What's all the noise?! You're interrupting my beauty sleep. Eda said I needed it!"

I stifle a laugh while Lilith rolls her eyes and offhand mentions, "We just dropped a book King. Go back to sleep. Eda and Luz likely won't be back for another hour or two." 

The tiny demon looks shocked, “Wait, I slept a whole day?” He throws the blanket away in fear, “What sleeping horror have you put me through Blankie?!”

My ex-mentor squints her eyes, “Edalyn said she’d be back today in her note…”

King shrugs and hops onto the couch beside me, “Eh, she told me they’d be back tomorrow as she left. Then Luz ran after her carrying all sorts of weird equipment.”

I groan, “So I’ve wasted my night here for nothing.”

Lilith scoffs, clearly offended, “And I’m chopped liver.”

“Sorry!” comes out of my mouth without thinking. Not that it’s wrong to say, but I’ve been careful to maintain a cold demeanor all night. “I mean- you’ve been helpful, but we haven’t made any real progress. I *need* the Owl Lady. Hence this night being for nothing.”

The small fuzzball snuggling up to me yawns, “And I need more beauty sleep. Can you two take this somewhere else?”

Lilith takes a step towards the kitchen, "Nap away King. I think I've wasted enough of miss Blight's time." 

_ Maybe I've been too cold. Too much like my old self. _ I raise my hand and start to apologize, but my scroll dings and distracts me enough for her to be out of sight. 

Get home now

Got word they’re coming tonight

Pick up glue if you can

-Em

_ Crap. _ I quickly shove all my research and books into my bag and rush out the door. The only reason I've been able to be out this late so frequently is the fact that mom and dad were out on another business trip. And they were supposed to be gone for another month.  _ Why are they back now? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all soo much for the positive responses!! Really excites me to write more :)
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos if you want to give me a boost of seratonin :D  
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	6. Day 2 [Late Night]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity rushes home after hearing her parents are coming back early. Seems this night is one of questions, not answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since some of you *cough* @Amehwriter *cough* were worried about the Blight parents, I figured I'd post earlier today than I had planned. Enjoy ;)

The door slams behind me as I rush through the entryway. Ed’s head pokes out from the upper floor balcony, realizes it’s me, and sighs in relief. He shouts behind him, “It’s Mittens, we got time.” When he turns back to me I catch a bit of abomination goop in his hair, “Hey Mittens! Don’t worry, they’re not home yet. Did you get the glue?”

I catch my breath and quirk an eyebrow, “No, I was rushing back. What are you two-”

A loud thump precedes a grunt by Em, to which my brother winces, “Can’t talk. We’ll figure out a replacement for the glue. Maybe more goo will work… Oh, and don’t come to dad’s study right now.” He disappears deeper into the upstairs hallway, presumably to dad's study. 

_ What are they up to now? With abomination goo no less… _ One of my books falls out of my bag as I throw my shoes into the closet and startles me out of my curiosity. Without wasting any more time, I rush upstairs to my room. Of course, I pass dad's study and hear more commotion, but that's the twins' problem. Once in my room, I hastily pack away all the new notes from tonight's talk. 

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.  _ I'm home before mom and dad. My work is hidden well. They have no way of knowing what I've been doing. Right? _

After changing and checking my room is as clean as possible, I step into the hallway to hear the front door shut. Em’s disembodied voice hisses, “Damn. Mittens, keep dad out of his study for a minute?” She vanishes back in the room and I hear frantic cleaning behind the door. 

I quickly walk downstairs and almost run into mom and dad rushing through the hall. Without being told, I stop immediately and stand straight. Mom stops in front of me while dad rushes past me. I note that he isn’t going upstairs, but is heading to the kitchen. 

Mom looks more harried than I’ve ever seen, almost like she’s seen a ghost, “Amity, darling. What are you doing down here? You should be preparing for bed.”

Doing my best to maintain a calm, slightly concerned appearance, I tilt my head the tiniest degree, “I heard the front door open and was concerned. What brought father and you home a month early?” 

For the first time, I see a genuine anxious look on her face, “We are just stopping by to pick up… some items your father forgot.” Her foot is tapping and she pulls out her scroll before I can respond. Whatever she sees is enough to make her grimace and turn as pale as Lilith, “Go back to your room Amity. And don’t fret about us, we will be out of here within the hour.”

Curiosity surges through me, but I know better than to question her. Especially when *something* has her frightened. “Yes mother. Good night then.” Before I can move, the old witch basically runs past me.  _ What’s going on that gets mom like this? _

When I get upstairs I see Em and Ed scramble out of dad’s study, both looking extremely disheveled and tired. Em catches her breath first, though she maintains a slightly crazed expression as she whispers, “Where are they?”

I fill them in, and they seem more disappointed than anything else. They don’t give any insight into our parents’ night before leaving me alone in the hallway without so much as a goodnight. With a huff I head to my room.  _ I don’t have time to worry about their issues anyways. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See! It was ffffffiiiiiiinnnnnnneeeee  
> Definitely not just setting up stuff for later. Definitely. ;)  
> Also, you'll just have to wait to find out exactly what everyone besides Amity is up to. Can't go spilling my secrets yet.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the chapter! I've been worried about this level of drawn out tension building. Hope it wasn't too anticlimactic for you all, because don't worry we're not near the climax yet.
> 
> Thank you all soo much for the positive responses!! Really excites me to write more :)  
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	7. Day 3 [Afternoon]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eda returns from her excursion with Luz, and Amity is finally able to ask to talk with her.

For the second day in a row I trudge through the woods and emerge at the Owl Lady’s house clearing. The only real difference this time is that Hooty is distracted by something behind the house I would guess. As I get closer, a broom swoops down in front of me and kicks dirt into my face. Acting on instinct, I create an abomination hand to block most of the sand.

“Ha. Told you we- Oh wow. That’s not a bad block for a kid.” The Owl Lady’s voice reaches my ears as I wipe the dirt that did get into my eyes out. As my vision returns I see the gray haired witch disembark her broom and Luz fall off said broom with the usual lack of grace.

The most adorable (and only) human I’ve ever seen quickly stands up and adjusts her backpack full of doodads and knick knack, “Oh. Amity! Hi. What brings you here? Did we plan something that I forgot? Oh no I’m soo sorry. I totally don’t remember but-”

I put up a hand and smile, “No Luz, you’re fine. We didn’t plan anything… I actually was hoping to talk to the Owl Lady about somethi-”

Said Owl Lady was starting to head to the house but she stops abruptly and turns around, “Jeez Blight. I thought I told you to call me Eda. Only the Belos’ gang calls me ‘Owl Lady’.”

“Sorry. *Eda*.” I turn to face her more directly, stand tall, and look her in the heterochromic eye, “Will you talk with me about some special research I’ve been working on?”

She shrugs, “I don’t have any plans right now. Kiddo, can you put everything away?”

“Sure! I’ll get King to help!” Luz nods, and then nudges me, “Oh, when you’re done with whatever you’re doing, we should hang! Ya know, since you’re here. If you want of course…”

_ Yes. A million times yes we should hang out and just spend time together and maybe cuddle and date and- Get a grip of yourself! You’re Amity Blight and you’re… Standing in front of your crush and still haven’t responded… And now Eda and Luz are staring… _ “Uh- Yea- No- I mean. That sounds brate- I mean great. I mean… Sure! I’m down if you are.”

Luz gives me a quizzical look but Eda cuts the tension first, “Oookkaaaaayyyy then. Kid, get that stuff put away before Blight here has a full breakdown.”

If my face could get any more red it would. Thankfully Luz doesn’t pay it much mind and has already turned towards the house, “You can count on me Eda. I’ll see you round Amity.”

Once the adorable human disappears into the house, the outlaw witch elbows me, “So, are you actually going to make a move, or are you gonna let her be the one that got away?”

_ She’s trying to kill me of embarrassment isn’t she? _ “Wha- No- How- What do you-”

The witch chuckles and pats my head, “Hey, you do you Blight. But she isn’t gonna be around much longer…” Sadness washes through her face as she glances at the door Luz disappeared through.

“Well, I’ve been working on something for that actually. But I need some help. Can we talk somewhere less open?”

She quirks an eyebrow but shrugs, “Sure Blight. Maybe you can help with my plan too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hhhooooo bbbooooooyyyyyy, we're finally getting to the meat!   
> Expect things to really pick up in terms of plot development from here on.
> 
> Hope you're all doing well and staying safe this holiday season!   
> I'll be getting my wisdom teeth taken out next Tuesday so the next chapter will hopefully be up early Tuesday (but might be Wednesday if I forget to post it before my surgery... Sorry if that happens!).
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	8. Day 3 [Evening]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eda and Amity finally have a chat...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy a bit of early chaos before the holidays :)

_ No freaking way… _ “What do you mean you’re making the key?” I stare in disbelief at the Eda as she nonchalantly sips tea out of a chipped mug. We’re sitting in an impressively unorganized storage room that’s somehow in the labyrinth that is this house. An awful charcoal smell mixes with the weird bird smell that seems to permeate the entire home.

“I’m trying to send her home.” She shrugs, but her eyes still have that sad look, “I spent a few weeks hunting down the ritual, and the Knee trip with the kid was an excuse to gather some components. It’s real old magic. And complicated at that.”

“So, why did you tell Luz it was a one way trip? If it’s a ritual we can just do it again.”

She shakes her head and sets the mug on a dusty stack of books, “It’ll only work here. In the Isles. One of the requirements is that it has to be within the Heart Caves. And last I heard, the human world doesn’t have Titanic organs rich with magic…”

_ Maybe it’d be easier for me to just- No. That’s over dramatic even for you Blight. _ “How confident are you in that ritual? Where’d you even find out about it? I’ve barely been able to find anything on dimensional magic. And what I have found isn’t near enough to go off of.”

The outlaw witch quirks an eyebrow, “Been workin’ hard on this ‘eccentric’ research?”

Of course, without saying Luz’s name, it’s obvious what she’s implying. I look at the ground. Then the random stacks of boxes, books, and paraphernalia scattered in this room. “Yes… I have… Luz has just been so sad and homesick, I wanted to figure out a spell to transport her home *and* come back again.”

“Can’t blame your sentiment.” She gives a crooked smile, “You actually remind me of me when I was a kid.” There’s an air of warning in her words, but she delivers them all with that smile, which happens to fade with her next sentence. “But this isn’t something that you just book your way into doing. Not something you should be trying to do anyways. Maybe just help me-”

“But if I don’t, Luz will be gone forever and- hey wait! You didn’t answer my question.” I interrupt my near spiralling to call her out.

“You’re smart kid.” She grimaces but points at me, “You got me. I have no idea if it’ll work or not. But the kid needs it. She can’t stay trapped here. It’s not good for her.”

I sigh and look at the singular old door in this room, “Agreed… She deserves better. Which is why I want to figure out this spell. Why do you want to rush this ritual? Shouldn’t we wait for something better? Does she even know about the risk associated with it?”

A scoff and an eye roll from the gray witch are the only responses I get for a moment. “Of course she doesn’t. What would I say to her? ‘Hey kid, I’m gonna try to send you to your mom but you might explode into sparkles and sprinkles. Do you still want to go?’”

"She deserves to know the truth.” The disbelief soars through my tone.

Eda looks pointedly at me, “And what about you? Want to tell her all about your spell?”

“That’s…”  _ different _ . I purposefully look everywhere but at her. “Ugh. This was a waste of time.” I grab my bag and stand, “If you’re not going to help then I’ll just figure it out myself. Without risking her life or lying to her.”

I don’t hear what she says next as I’m already out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, that could have gone better :/  
> Eda definitely should be open with Luz, but I also totally understand her viewpoint so.... 
> 
> Also, next update is on Boxing Day so happy holidays all!   
> Hope you're all safe and comfortable and able to enjoy yourself!
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	9. Day 3 [Night]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough conversation, Amity runs home and runs into the twins

The ornate front door of the Blight estate slams shut behind me as the adrenaline wears off. The entire run home, I ran through the facts and grew more and more upset with Eda’s plan. Now that I’m home though, my thoughts shift.  _ Luz and I were supposed to hang after I talked with Eda… I blew her off. _ Guilt fills in me as Eda’s words echo in my head, “…She isn’t gonna be around much longer…”

I shake my head and slap my cheeks, “She’ll be around far longer if you actually figure the spell out Blight. Get to it.” Without wasting more time, I throw my shoes and jacket in the coat closet and make my way deeper into the elegant empty estate. Before I get too far though, my stomach grumbles to remind me I skipped dinner to visit Eda.  _ A quick detour to the kitchen and some research snacks won’t hurt. _

Before I enter the kitchen, I hear the twins bickering and smell something meaty. I’m tempted to turn heel but my gurgling stomach squashes that idea immediately. With a deep breath, I turn the corner and walk into the massive kitchen. Normally there would be staff bustling about, but at this late hour there’s only two chaotic Blight twins running around cooking *something*. I clear my throat, “What monstrosity are you two cooking up now?”

The fact both of them freeze the second they realize I’m here tells me all I need to know. Ed glances at me while throwing some indiscernible meat cubes into the pot he’s standing in front of, “Just some late dinner. What’re you up to Mittens?” He says quickly before adding in a ball Em is holding out for him. She immediately walks to the far counter looking for something.

I grab a stale bun on the counter and take a bite, “Tried to get help, turns out Eda’s a maniac that’s gonna get Luz killed.”

The older twin had grabbed a knife, which she now drops as she stares at me wide eyed, “She’s gonna do what? And to the human you’re crushing hard on?”

Thankfully I had just swallowed my bite, because I would have choked. “Not- ugh. What’s the point in arguing with you two… Yea, Eda is helping Luz go home, but she’s going to use some super old ritual to do it and she doesn’t know what’ll happen to her”

“Even we know better than messing with old rituals. Can’t afford another Toe incident.” My brother murmurs before looking me in the eye, “So you’re gonna undercut her plan, right?”

Em picks up her knife and twirls it around her fingers, “The offer to help still stands.”

Ed snatches the knife, “Not hurting anyone of course.” He stabs something in the pot.

_ Could they help? They can’t know anything about dimensional magic. _ The two are watching me intently, with both eager anticipation and feigned aloofness.  _ But they do know illusions. And know way more people than me… _ Despite the seriousness of everything, I smirk, “You know I’ll undercut her. I was working hard before I knew her plan, but now it’s a race. And… Yes I could use whatever help you two could add. Tomorrow. I'm exhausted.”

The twins high five, laugh, and pull me into a hug. Em bear hugs me longer, “Thanks for giving us another chance Mittens.” Before I can respond, the pot Ed was cooking in explodes upwards in broth, meat and weird crystals.

Ed grabs an iron slab and covers the pot, “Sorry! Forgot to cover it…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to look up for Amity! :D  
> With the twins joining Amity, things should move much quicker, right?
> 
> I'm running out of pre-written chapters so now to try and bulk write the rest of this fic...
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	10. Day 4 [Morning]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em, Ed, and Amity sync up with what they've been up to, and find more similarities than they expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooo boy, we passed 1000 hits! and 10 subs! Thank you all soooo much :D  
> This is beyond awesome!  
> Sooo glad you all are enjoying my lil' experiment ;)

Em waves a hand dismissively, "Well that's your problem. You've done a Mittens and only looked at books."

Ed laughs and picks up one of the older books I had found, "'The Dichotomy of Existence'? Where'd you even find this? You need to get out more often…" 

"The library you idiot." I snatch the tome out of his hands and put it on the stack of books we've laid out. "Where else would I look?" 

Ed grabs my shoulder and pulls me to the window, "Let me be the first to introduce you to the world outside of books." He chuckles before letting me go back to my table.

"No wonder you've been so busy Mittens… This is insane…" My older sister chimes in as I am back beside her, "OK. So let me see if I've got this right. You've been trying to create a spell to travel to and from the human world. A spell which the Owl Lady, *and* Emperor Belos have tried to create and failed so far. All to get your crush to notice you? Is that right?" 

“Not to notice me!” I elbow Em, “Luz knows I exist. I’m not hopeless…” I rub the back of my head and murmur, “I just want her to be happy again. She’s been so depressed lately.”

Two lanky arms wrap around me, “Aww Mittens. That’s the sweetest thing!” Ed gives me a quick squeeze before walking around the table to survey the table, “Alright. Let’s quit goofing around and actually make a spell!” 

“You’re the one wasting time bro.” Em flicks a notecard to her twin and then sifts through notes from the other night, “Looks like you and Lilith did okay. This seems promising.”

Ed leans over her shoulder, “The last circle looks alright. But it won’t actually work. You can’t base it off those components. There’s no way you’ll pull off dimensional magic with that.”

“What do you two know about dimensional magic? You both only care about illusions.”

“Ah- Ah- Ah Mittens.” Em holds a finger up, “That’s also an illusion. We care a lot about all the covens. The secret hallways in Hexside make it really easy to pick up bits and pieces of everything. Beyond that, we might have tried to make our own dimensional secret hallways...”

“Not that that’s worked out yet... Nearly destroyed dad’s study in the process.” Ed mumbles the last bit to himself, but I just barely hear it.   


_ Guess I was wrong about them. In more ways than one. _ I don’t bother to hide my surprise, “Wait that’s what you two were doing the other night when mom and dad came back?”

“Nice going idiot.” Em elbows Ed but chuckles and motions to the table of notes, “Yea. Guess the latest Blight trend is dimensional magic. Even dad has been looking into it.”

Ed preempts my rising question, “We found books with mom’s notes in dad’s desk related to dimensional magic. Seemed like whatever they’re working on, it involves the same thing we’ve all been looking at. Though you seem to have covered everything they have.”

“Well, I guess they also ‘did a Mittens’?”  _ Maybe this isn’t as niche as I thought. But that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. _ “Sounds like you two at least found enough to attempt something in dad’s study. If you didn’t use books, what did you use?”

Em shakes her head, “We used books Mittens. We just didn’t *only* use books. We also used our heads, night market trades, and my girlfriend to get enough to attempt something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah finally. We're able to start reconnecting some of those loose threads from earlier!  
> Now hopefully the twins are able to use some of their research and work to help boost things along.
> 
> Also, I mentioned it at the beginning notes, but seriously, thank you for checking out my little dip into fan fic writing and following along!  
> It means the world to me, and usually brightens up my day to see another comment or kudos :)
> 
> Also also, I've started a much longer form TOH college AU fic!  
> So consider subbing to my user if you wanna see that whenever it's done (probably a long while cause I'm slow af and work is picking back up).  
> It's not a one page chapter challenge, so I get to be my usual verbose self in it!!!!  
> (and it's a college AU so I swear a lot in it and get to talk about more serious topics and just be more young adult-y :D )
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	11. Day 4 [Night]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blight kids head into the night market to talk to an informant who has some interesting information for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!!!! May it be happier and better than the last :D
> 
> (Also yes I finally updated the tags after 11 chapters... Don't point it out)

I yawn and rub my eyes. The brisk night does little to offset the exhaustion of catching up on everything the twins have been up to. Not only had they managed to uncover various pieces of ancient magics and tie those to more modern spell casting methods, they somehow reverse engineered the dimensional enchantment used to create the hallways in Hexside. None of that is simple. Ancient magics seemed to be primarily done through glyphs like Luz uses. And, while Luz realized modern magic does somehow use glyphs, it’s more a combination of circles, bile sacs, and components.  _ Maybe I don’t give them enough credit… _ Too bad most of their work was for creating a pocket dimension, so there’s limited crossover. But it’s better than nothing.

Around me the night market is bustling with all sorts of licit and illicit activity, though I don’t have a chance to really tell who’s here or what they’re up to. Em and Ed lead me through alleys and roads as quickly as they can. Apparently we’re late to meet with their night market informant because he didn’t tell them he moved shop. Finally we round a corner and are met with a small tented stand that clearly was hastily thrown together in about five minutes.

Ed approaches the stand and knocks an insane pattern on the counter, “Come out Tibbles. You said you got some info for us?” I catch a glimpse at someone behind the counter, and hear someone whispering but can’t make out what they say. Ed seems to however since he glances back at me before dismissively waving, “That’s just Mittens. Don’t worry about her. Now come on, what’d you hear that needed us to rush out here?”

A pig imp in a suit without pants steps out from the shadows and smiles, "Of course! If it isn't my favorite customers, the Bright kids! Do you have my snails?" 

Before he can hold a hand out, Em tosses a small pouch onto the counter, "There's what we owe you plus what you asked for tonight. What'd you find?" 

"All business tonight then." The imp quickly counts the snails and apparently finds them satisfactory since he quickly pockets the pouch, "Alright, well. You all were very interested in the various books and recipes I'd collected over the years so I figured you'd also be interested in learning that another couple stopped by yesterday asking for similar items." 

My curiosity is peaked enough to chime in from behind Em, “Who was this couple?”

Tibbles holds a hand out expectantly, to which Ed scoffs but puts five snails in. Again the imp seems satisfied and quickly pockets the money, “Some real tall and lanky rich assholes. One was sinister looking with a goatee, and the other had green hair, much like you three. ”The twins and I glance at each other, and know he has to be describing mom and dad.  _ What are they up to? _ Luckily, our informant continues without being prompted, "They asked a lot of the same questions you did. Old spells, different realms... They didn’t ask about teleportation though."

Ed leans forward, “They buy anything?” 

Yet again, a hand is held out, and Ed puts five snails in it. The imp sweetly smiles, “They only bought information. They did ask if anyone else asked for similar pieces of information.”

I don’t need to see Em’s face to know she’s rolling her eyes, “And you haven’t said anything to them yet. And you won’t say anything so long as we pay you. Do I have it right?”

With a downright evil smirk, he stares Em down, “20 snails to say nothing, 50 to lie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are getting busy now aren't they? Time to really bring threads together then...  
> And hopefully the blurb at the start about magic wasn't too much, just felt the need to exposite a bit :)
> 
> It's been a busy few weeks, but I'm hoping to finish up writing this fic soon so I can focus on future fics and my own projects.  
> We'll see how that goes, but don't worry, there are probably a handful of chapters left at least (and it'll be clear when we're getting to the end)!
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	12. Day 4 [Late Night]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After heading home from the night market, the Blight kids think about what to do next

“What could they possibly be up to?” I murmur as the twins and I look over the few notes we found. After getting back from the night market, we immediately scavanaged whatever we could find in both mom’s and dad’s study. For the most part, the notes seem older and less relevant, but they’re all we have. Now we’re looking over them all in the den, since that’s the biggest table we could clear quickly.

Ed puts down one of the two notebooks we had found in mom’s area, “I mean, they’re doing something with dimensional magic. Clearly. But why?”

“You don’t think…” I start to connect dots, “They’re working with Belos?”

Em looks up for a second, thinking, before nodding, “At this point it seems likely. I mean, who besides him would scare them like they were the other night?”

Ed cups his chin, “But why would he need them?”

The question lingers for a few seconds before Em gasps, “What if it’s not just them? Viney mentioned her parents have also been out for a while. And there have been a lot of parties going on lately because kids’ parents are out. What if he gathered every decent coven member to help? He might be scrambling since the Owl Lady’s door was destroyed.”

Like a group of Luz’s bobbleheads, Ed and I nod in agreement. He gestures in the air, “That would explain mom and dad’s mysterious extended business trip too.”

“And he could easily scare them all into silence and submission. He is the emperor...” I posit, as more and more of the past few days make sense. The weight of the situation hangs over us and silences us.  _ If he has all this help, do we really have a chance? _

Em pulls Ed and me in for side hugs, “Well, we knew it wouldn’t be easy. But us Blight kids have done  **way** harder things.” She releases us and chuckles, “Like surviving under mom.”

The tension ebs a little and Ed giggles, “That should be our motto. Blight kids: survived their mom.” Despite everything, I do feel more hopeful.  _ If anyone can do this, it’s us, right? _

We all bask in the, probably undeserved, pride for a moment before I note, “If we’re gonna do this, we should actually get to work. Today was basically spent catching each other up and realizing it’s a three way race.”

Ed nods sagely, “You do make a point there. We need a plan if we’re going to beat the entire government in addition to the biggest criminal mastermind the Isles has.”

Not being one to sit by while others plan, Em starts collecting all of our parents’ research that we have, “Well, first we should actually pull all their notes with our own. See if they can fill in whatever gaps we still have.”

“And-” I continue as she gathers everything, “-we can use our work, and their notes, to build a better path forward.”

Ed hands his twin the last of the papers on the table, “I mean, we already have a good starting point with that spell you and Lilith came up with. We mostly just need to remove the component requirement and figure out a way to guarantee a target location.”

The three of us nod and talk about potential ways forward as we make our way back to my room since that’s where all my notes are.  _ Maybe we do have a chance at this insane plan… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy! They have plans, notes, and motivations!   
> Let's see if that's all they need... 
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	13. Day 5 [Afternoon]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are out, so Amity is left alone struggling with figuring out the concrete details of their plan. And someone makes a surprise return to the story ;)

_ …which could mix with the activator in their spell and a basic illusion to- No. That would give us a vision of another realm at best. _ I groan and lean back. Despite it being early afternoon, it’s been a long day. At least it’s a long weekend thanks to Hexside renovations. The house around me is silent since the twins are out gathering possible components and whatever information about coven members they can dig up. 

I lean forward, but a magical chime lets me know someone is approaching the front door. The chime doesn’t ring for Blight family or for staff, so it’s been a while since it’s actually gone off. Curious and slightly startled, I quickly throw all the notes into the hidden compartment and run downstairs. I open the door to see a clearly upset Willow dressed in her favorite orange dress. 

Before I can get a word out she yanks me out the door and lets it shut behind me, “What’s going on Amity? And don’t brush me off again. You haven’t been answering your scroll, you’re clearly exhausted during school, and now Luz says you blew her off the other day.”

“I’m…” I pause for a moment and try to come up with a reasonable cover.  _ But this is Willow. Who always sees through me. If she’s going to press, there’s no getting around it. And I don’t want to throw away our still healing friendship… _ I sigh and nod concedingly.  _ Maybe a half truth will work. _ “Okay fine. Come inside… Why’d you even pull me out here in the first place?” 

She lets go of me so I turn around and open the door. As she follows behind me she gives me a confused look, “I figured you didn’t want your parents or the twins to know about this.”

A chuckle escapes my lips as I lead her upstairs towards my room, “My parents are still out. And the twins know. In fact they’ve been helping me the past couple days.” We enter my, messy by my parents’ standard but decent by anyone else’s, room and I sit in front of my desk.

“Wait, you and the twins are getting along now?” Willow stares at me in disbelief.

I shrug, “They’ve been pretty good recently… Anyways-” I shake my head and pull a specific old notebook out from the hidden compartment, being extra careful to not let Willow see the compartment, “-I’ve been flaky lately because I’ve been working on a gift for Luz. It was going to be my confession of my crush finally, but with her leaving so soon… I had to pivot it to being a goodbye present.” I flip the notebook open to a page detailing long abandoned plans to use branches from the Grom tree Luz and I made to create an intricate relief depicting the two of us at Grom.  _ She doesn’t need to know I abandoned this weeks ago to focus on the portal stuff… _

“Oh my titan that is adorable!” Willow squeals, immediately grabbing the notebook to look more closely at the crude drawing I had made. “Why didn’t you ask me? I could’ve made this in a couple days with my magic. Saved you a lot of time.”

_ Crap… Why wouldn’t I have asked? _ I panic for a second internally, but manage to hold my expression, “Well, that wouldn’t be special would it? I wanted it to be something from me.”

The ever quick plant witch squints at me, “What are the twins helping with then?”

“Uhhh…” I look everywhere but at her.  _ Come on Blight, come up with something! _

Willow puts the book down and stares me down, “What’s really going on Amity?”

_ The twins did say talking to others helps. And the biggest leap I made was with Lilith. *And* this *is* Willow… _ “Alright fine.” I mumble and begin pulling out all the notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! Amity seems to finally be learning her lesson of actually talking to others! Kinda...  
> And you know what that means! We're right near the end! 
> 
> I'm still writing it, but I'm planning for 3ish more chapters... and maybe an epilogue depending on how I feel about it ;)  
> Don't worry, I'll make sure to give you all a heads up when we are right near the end, and I promise it's a good ending point.
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	14. Day 5 [Evening]:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Willow's on the team, it's time to figure stuff out :)

“This could actually work… I should have talked to you from the get go.” I chuckle and jokingly punch Willow, “Finding Luz’s glyphs inside the vision spell, merging that with the glyph from basic teleportation theory, and using the resulting glyph as a basis for the spell the twins and I came up with earlier is genius…”

The young witch bashfully looks away, “Don’t thank me yet. It’s just an idea.” She turns to me and looks me in the eyes, “But seriously, you really should ask for help more often.” 

I purse my lips, “Fair. I’ll try and be better next time…” I plop onto the chair and look around. I had brought Willow to the den and laid everything out for her a couple hours ago. In that time she’s basically caught up, and come up with an actual plan. Now most of the pages are pushed to the side and the notes related to Willow’s plan are organized in front of us.

Suddenly, for the second time today, the magical chime rings. Before we can react, I hear the front door open and slam shut. A moment later, the twins burst into the cozy chamber, with Viney right behind them. The three are in varying states of disarray, but they all look like they had the worst day imaginable. Their clothes are singed, hair is completely messed up, and entire bodies are smattered in mud and some ooze. 

The twins lean over with hands on knees and catch their breath. Viney, on the other hand, is pretty much alright and has barely broken a sweat. She chuckles and pats Em’s back, “You really need to work out more you know? That wasn’t even that bad.”

“Wasn’t even tha-” Em bewilderedly looks at her girlfriend, “We had to trek through three different biomes and nearly got eaten by a pixie! How is that not that bad? That was definitely in the top 10 worst days of my life! ”

“It’s fine. You had me there to get you through it all.” Viney waves a hand and looks at Willow and me, “Oh. Didn’t realize you were part of this. You’re Amity’s friend, Willow right?”

Willow nods and extends a hand, “Yep. I just found out about all this today. And have been helping Amity figure out a plan. I think we’ve come up with something that’ll work.”

As the twins catch their breath, Willow and I fill the three of them in on the overarching plan. After which I motion to some of the papers in the middle of the table, “We haven’t had a chance yet to figure out the details yet around combining the glyphs or building the final spell, but I figure you two-” I nudge Ed and Em, “-can help with that after what you managed to work out for your secret halls project.” The two nod so I continue, “If all goes well, hopefully you grabbed everything we need and we can test it out tomorrow!”

Willow purses her lips, “Sounds a little early to be testing a brand new spell, right?”

I shrug, “We can’t wait forever. Luz needs to go home soon for her own sake. And Eda’s gonna try sooner rather than later. Plus this isn’t magic we can test without trying it anyways.”

Viney puts a hand on Willow’s shoulder, “Don’t sweat it. We’re here to watch these Blight goofballs and make sure they don’t implode or anything.”

“We’re not goofballs.” Em jokingly pushes Viney, “We can handle ourselves.”

“Alright, then I guess I’ll just leave then.” Viney chuckles and walks out the room.

Ed and I give Em a ‘go get your girl’ look and she chases Viney out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now things are rounding off! Definitive plans, relationship goofs, the whole shebang!  
> Also, is Emira/Viney totally expected and predictable in this fandom? Yep. Do I still love them? Yepppp!
> 
> It's been a long year all... Hope it's going well for you!
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	15. Day 6 [Morning]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang work on finding the basis of the portal spell when a startling message interrupts an otherwise progressful morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little later than normal, my pupper wasn't feeling well and needed some good ol' fashioned momma time (Don't worry he's recovering now and should feel better tomorrow)

“I think I saw it!” Viney quickly scribbles in her notebook. A moment passes before she holds the page out for the rest of us. The glyph she’s drawn looks like a polygonal duck with a circle over it’s butt and a couple random lines over the torso. 

Willow shakes her head and murmurs, “I don’t know. That doesn’t look right. I thought I saw a rectangle in it somewhere… Can we try it again?”

Ed nods and steps back. “Think it’s my turn.” He waits a second for us to be looking before casting the most versatile vision spell he could. With a simple light blue circle, he creates a basic vision of the Blight manor despite it being a rugby field’s length away. The entire reason we’re doing this is to try and find some glimpse of the underlying glyph that makes up the spell. I’m not sure how Luz is able to find glyphs in everything. I haven’t been able to see anything. Luckily the others seem to be more perceptive than me.

“Ok I think you were close hon, but missed a couple lines.” Em walks over to Viney and adds a few more lines to the glyph. Willow, Ed and I join them and look over the glyph. It looks nothing like Viney’s other attempt, but does seem more spell glyph like. 

“That look alright to you all? I still haven’t seen it.” I look up from the book at everyone.

The rest nod and Willow puts a supportive hand on my shoulder. She looks around the circle at everyone, “Should we do the spell once or twice more to make sure it’s right and then head work on combining it?”

Ed smirks and vehemently nods, “Yep! And merging it should be pretty quick if our plan is right. Then we just need to add the dimensional magic flair that’ll actually take us to another realm. So hopefully we can have the first draft of the spell tonight.”

We all take a few steps back and Em starts to cast another vision spell. Before she can finish it, Willow’s scroll chirps. Given how quiet it’s been, the sound startles us all enough for Em to lose the spell. Willow apologetically smiles and pulls out her scroll to read whatever message she just got. Apparently it’s not a pleasant message because she frowns and quickly responds before looking up, “We need to go.” Without waiting, she starts jogging to the manor.

The rest of us exchange worried looks and chase her. I shout to her, “What happened?”

She turns and starts jogging backwards, which gives us a chance to catch up, “Gus just messaged me. He was hanging with Luz today. Apparently some of Belos’ soldiers stormed the Owl House and a wild battle broke out! They managed to hold them off, but they think more are on their way. So they’re gonna try to send Luz back today, before Belos can intercept them. They’re heading to the caves now.”  _ Titandamn, couldn’t they wait a day? We’re nearly ready! _

We reach the manor and race through it towards the front. Em shouts orders to us all, “Mittens, you and Willow go get to Luz and try to convince her to wait a day. If she can’t be stopped at least slow her down. Ed and I will stick back and try to finish the spell. Hon, go grab Puddles; if they can’t stop Luz, we’ll need to get to them quick and try something crazy.”

None of us are happy with the plan, but it’s not as if we have many other options.  _ Who knows, maybe Eda figured out a more safe way to send Luz back… She wouldn’t try this if it were still super dangerous and untested. Right? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Excitedly rubs hands together* Alright! Let's get this going!!!!!  
> The finale is about to start! And boy howdy is it gonna be exciting!
> 
> I'm in the middle of writing it (hoped to finish before posting this but pupper came first of course), but do have it all planned out.  
> There'll be 3 more chapters and that should be it (unless the ending really cries for an epilogue ;p )
> 
> I really hope you all have enjoyed the ride thus far and find the ending satisfying when you read it.  
> I'm not great at finishing things so this has been a journey for me, and the big sad/doubt loves to creep in around the end of things, but I said I would finish this and I'll be damned if I don't keep my word :)
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	16. Day 6 [Afternoon]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity and Willow rush to the heart caves and find things have already kicked off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of the end!!! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

“I think we’re close!” I grunt as Willow and I crest a hill a little bit south of the Emperor’s Castle. “Has Gus messaged anything else?” The two of us are out of breath from running the entire distance from the manor to here.  _ What I wouldn’t give for a broom right now.  _ The barren landscape, cloudy day, and high wind only serves to amplify the tense mood as we grow closer and closer to the Heart Caves.

Willow is just in front of me, seeming a little less phased by the arduous trek, but still a little winded. She checks her scroll and shakes her head, “Nothing. Last he sent was which cave entrance they’re gonna use. I think it’s just past that next hill.”

Without a word, we continue towards the sprawling hills which surround the Emperor’s Castle. Dotted throughout the hills are entrances to the Heart Caves, a tangled mess of a cave system which used to lead to the Titan’s Heart. At some point long ago, Belos cut off all tunnels leading to the Heart and built the castle around it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still passages under and around the castle. 

After a few minutes, we start to see flashes and hear a mix of shouts and screams. Willow and I exchange a quick look and slow down to quietly peek over the next hill. Just a rugby field away from us, it looks like a full on war is happening. A squadron of Belos’ elite soldiers charge towards a large hole in the side of the hill which presumably is the cave entrance we were looking for. Willow points towards the entrance, “Hey, there’s Gus! Why is he alone?”

The little witch has single handedly created a counter squadron of illusions. All of which are managing to distract and take down the soldiers before they reach the entrance. At this distance we can’t see much more, but I would guess Luz and the others are inside the cave. Willow tugs my arms and the two of us head around the side of the hill and sneak towards Gus and the entrance. A few of Gus’ illusions spot us and help us safely cross the battlefield quickly. Gus himself is giving commands and creating new illusions just outside the cave.

He waves to us as we get close and stops casting illusions for a minute. It’s pretty obvious he’s drained, but despite the situation, he’s all smiles, “Hey guys. How’s it going?” 

Willow shrugs, “Just out for a midday stroll. How’re you doing?”

“Just kicking soldier butt. It’s kinda exhausting, but pretty fun.” He chuckles.

“How bout I give you a hand then.” Willow casts a vine spell and trips a soldier that was charging us. “Amity, think you’ll be fine heading in alone?”

I rub my arm, “I don’t know. You’d have an easier time convincing them than I will.”

My reconciled friend gives a warm smile, “It’ll be fine. Just talk to Luz. You got this.”

Flames lick our heads as one of the soldiers shoots a fireball just over our heads.  _ It’s now or never. _ I nod to my two peers, “Alright I’ll go.” Gus quickly creates an illusion to lead me through the tunnels. Then they turn back towards the battle and I follow the illusion into the entrance. My scroll chimes and I pull it out to see a picture from Em. It’s a message saying they figured out the base glyph of the spell, and a picture of said glyph. Without stopping, I quickly message the twins ‘Thanks’ followed by exactly where we are heading and hope it’ll reach them.  _ Here goes nothing… Please still be safe Luz. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooo boy! Battle's are happening!  
> Honestly, Gus from the show would probably be able to wipe these Belos' goons no sweat, but I wanted to keep things interesting.
> 
> We're getting to the stage where keeping things one page or less gets very tricky...
> 
> Related, I've officially finished writing this fic!   
> It'll be 18 chapters, though the final chapter will be split in 2 parts because god damn I couldn't do it justice and keep it to one page.  
> (I know I know, that's cheating, but if every goddamn movie series can do it, so can I!)  
> Anyways, I'll still post at the cadence I have been (Tuesday's and Saturday's) so expect another couple weeks of this fic!
> 
> Also, this fic passed 50 kudos!!! This is beyond awesome :)  
> Can't wait for you all to see the climactic ending, and probably hate me for splitting the final chapter into two parts...  
> Anyways, time for me to go dive into new fics to write :D
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	17. Day 6 [Late Afternoon]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity and Gus' illusion make their way through the Heart Cave tunnels, but along the way they run into some... unexpected people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is up late! I got distracted today and totally lost track of time

The tunnels twist, turn, cross, and wind for far longer than I would have guessed. For probably an hour now I’ve been running in these self-luminescent mauve caves following Gus’ silent illusion.  _ I hope we didn’t make a wrong turn somewhere… _

Another multi-pronged intersection comes into view. Before we quite get to it, Gus’ illusion skids to a stop and motions for me stop. Ahead, muted echoes of striking stone and talking reach us. We slowly inch towards the chamber, and I peer around to see what the issue is. I can’t see anything amiss, but I realize that one of the tunnels is blocked by some form of cave in. More than that, I see the rubble shifting and being cleared. Within a minute, a small gap has been made and two thin figures squeeze through. It doesn’t take me a second to recognize them.  _ Mom, dad, here?! _ I immediately hide in the tunnel, and motion for Gus’ illusion to do the same. 

The sound of dad talking echoes further than he probably intends, “The chamber is clear. Continue carving out this blockage. We’ll continue tracking the traitor and her sister.”  _ Crap. This definitely confirms they’re working with Belos then… Got to stop them before they find Luz. _

“They went this way, let’s move.” Mom says, and I hear the sound of the two quickly move away from me. I decide to risk it and peer into the intersection; and manage to see dad disappear down the tunnel opposite us. 

I turn back to the illusion, "OK, you can't make sound obviously, but can you cast spells?" It shakes its head. I reach a hand out and touch it. It's weirdly cold but does have some physical form, "Can you interact with things?" This time it nods.  _ Can't use magic, can mess with things. _ "Alright. Let's just follow them. If they go off the right path, let me know. Otherwise just do whatever I say." It nods understandingly so we quietly rush off after my parents. 

For another 15 or so minutes we stealthily chase them, making sure to keep far enough back that they don't see us when they look behind them.  _ How do we stop them? I definitely can’t beat them in a fight, so what else can I do? Maybe a cave in? That’s probably the best option, right? It’d make it harder to get out of here in one piece, but we’ll figure that out later. _ I’m so lost in my thoughts, I don’t see that they stopped at an intersection, and run into the chamber.

They both turn to me and cycle from surprise to confusion to rage. Mom’s eyes glow green with some tracking spell, “Amity Odalia Blight. What do you think you’re doing here?”

_ Crap. _ “Well, I… You see…” I stumble on my words and look around wide eyed.  _ Screw this, we’re wasting time. _ With a steadying breath, I step towards them, “I heard of what’s going on here and felt it necessary to come to aid where I could.”

The two look at me with disbelief, but before they can get a word in, I’ve closed the distance between us. I sprint past them and quickly create an abomination between them. “Illusion, run ahead. I’ll follow as best I can!”

The illusion comes out from the tunnel and dashes around them as my abomination engulfs them. I follow the illusion but as I enter the tunnel, abomination goo explodes throughout the chamber and I look over my shoulder to see mom looking at me with rage in her eyes. Without thinking, I look up and cast a fireball at the roof of the tunnel entrance. Rock and rubble rain down behind me but I don’t look back again.  _ Please let that hold them long enough. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the blight parents did have to make a comeback ;)  
> Hope you all liked the mini-reunion! I had wanted to have a longer back and forth between Amity and her parents, but the whole one page per chapter thing meant I didn't have space to do that and keep things moving. 
> 
> But, with this chapter done, we officially just have the 2 part finale!!!  
> Part 1 will be up Tuesday, and part 2 will probably be us Saturday (unless I can be convinced to post it earlier ;) )
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	18. Day 6 [Early Evening] (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity continues in her trek to find Luz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Posting early today because I'm too hype about the first part of this finale to actually work*
> 
> All things must come to an end eventually...

I round another corner and continue following Gus’ illusion towards yet another large intersection.  _ How deep are these caves? They really- _ A thunk quickly stops my train of thought as a bolt shoots through the illusion and it evaporates into mist. I skid to a stop and see Lilith blocking the tunnel. She’s holding a crossbow and readying another shot. I tiredly hold up my hands, still out of breath from all the running, “Wait! It’s me. Amity. I’m trying to help Luz!”

The elder witch lowers her weapon and raises an eyebrow, “Amity- Why- What are you doing here? How did you even find- It was the little Augustus wasn’t it?”

I nod and slowly approach her, “He told us what happened. Where’s Luz?”

“She’s safe.” Her eye’s dart to the tunnel to her right for a second, “You shouldn’t be-”

A familiar masculine voice booms from behind me, making me flinch instinctively, “Clawthorne! Come quietly or this will get messy.” I turn and see mom and dad menacingly walk into the intersection. The tracking spell is gone from mom’s eyes, but now both her and dad have various offensive spells ready to blast.

Mom looks at me, “Amity, get behind us. We will talk later about that stunt you just pulled, but first your father and I are here on business for the Emperor.”

Before I can get a word in, Lilith shoots a bolt at dad, which he blocks handedly. She immediately turns heel and sprints down the tunnel opposite where I entered, “If you’re really here to help Miss Blight, now’s your chance to move in the right direction.”

I raise a finger to start casting, but mom creates an abomination fist which grabs me, “Don’t even think about it. Stay put while we catch the traitor and her sister.” Without another word my parents rush after Lilith. A moment passes before the fist dissipates and drops me.

The hard rock floor hurts, but I quickly scramble to my feet. I take a step to follow Lilith, but her departing words give me pause. I turn to the tunnel she had glanced at earlier, and start running down it.  _ Hopefully this is what you meant Lilith. It was to your right… _

It doesn’t even take a minute for the tunnel to end in a small ball shaped chamber. The majority of which is taken up by a large ritual circle. Eda is at the far end of the chamber finishing up the circle’s markings. And Luz is near the center, nervously looking at the ground. As I enter, they both look at me defensively, but Luz’s eye’s brighten when she realizes it’s me.

“Amity! You’re here! Wait. Why are you here?” Her excitement shifts to confusion.

I stop and give Luz a smile, “Glad you’re safe. You can’t use Eda’s spell, it’s-”

“Untested and dangerous?” She interrupts. My confused expression makes her chuckle softly, “Yea Eda told me while we were coming here.” Her expression hardens, “But Belos is getting aggressive. And if we wait to try it later, that’ll just increase the odds that he catches us and steals the ritual. At least if we try it now, Eda can torch everything. Plus she’s done everything she can to make sure it’s safe” Eda nods in agreement.

“But I-” I reach a hand out, conflicted about questioning Luz now and saying we have a spell nearly ready.  _ Maybe Eda does have it… She does seem more confident than last we spoke. _

The gray haired witch interrupts as she stands up, “We got this Blight. In case you didn’t notice, this is as good a shot as any. Now step back, I think it’s ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are....  
> I'm genuinely super sorry for splitting this finale into two parts, and splitting it here. But I really needed to get all this out here so I could spend a page for the entire scene that made me write this fic in the first place (that scene is part 2 of this finale).   
> And given the fact I've split chapters based on times, it felt weird to label part 2 as a different time even though it happens immediately continuing this part.  
> All this to say, blame my partner for telling me to split the chapter here ;)
> 
> In other news, I have been writing more fics!  
> The college AU has been tough, but I am writing a non-magic beta characters AU which should be out around the time part 2 of this finale comes out!
> 
> We're nearly at the end, and I'm sure I'll say it again after the final chapter, but thank you for reading my work :)   
> <3
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm


	19. Day 6 [Early Evening] (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eda casts a spell, things happen to Luz, and Amity risks it all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...But not all endings need come now
> 
> (Posted a day early because my BFF demanded it :P )

I take a step back, and nervously look at Luz. Who gives a wide grin and thumbs up before standing in the center of the circle. Despite the flamboyant enthusiasm, I see through the cracks and can tell how nervous she is. I give as confident a smile I can muster, which is to say probably not that reassuring. Eda starts casting the ritual. It’s similar to casting a spell, but instead of creating a circle, she slowly walks around the ritual circle speaking some language I don’t understand. As she moves, different elements in the circle start to glow and Luz becomes encompassed in a cylinder of light.  _ Kind of like the light cage I tried to put her in when we were at the Knee… _ After a full minute, Eda finally finishes revolving around Luz. 

All at once, Luz screams, white light fills the chamber, and I’m pulled towards the circle. Instead of flying into the circle though, I slam against some wall of force and am held against it.  _ Crap. _ “What’s happening?!” I think I hear Eda shout back, but it sounds like she’s a mile away. As quickly as that happened, everything stops. I fall to the ground hard and feel my ankle twist. Though the pain only pulls me to sit up and look around quickly. The ritual circle is gone, completely erased from the rocky floor, though Luz is hovering a few feet in the air. 

I try to stand, but my ankle cries out in defiance, so I crawl on my hands and knees to Luz. My shouts to her don’t even seem to reach my ears, and at some point I realize I can’t hear anything but intense ringing. To the side, it looks like Eda is just coming to, but she’s against one of the walls still.  _ Too far. _ When I reach Luz she’s flickering. One second it’s like she’s being pulled by her hair, the next she’s frantically looking around, and the next she’s back to being pulled up. But she’s not moving between seconds, she’s snapping between states.  _ As if she’s bouncing between realities… The spell must have only partially worked. She’s being torn apart! _

I look at Eda, but she seems just as scared and frantic as I am. She shouts something to me but I can’t hear anything over the ringing. Eda pulls out an old book and starts hurriedly flipping through it. I turn back to Luz and realize her frantic half seems more in pain.  _ We don’t have time. _ I pull out my scroll and look at the base glyph the twins managed to send me earlier. But it’s just meant to be the basis. It’s an incomplete spell at best.  _ Come on Blight. What were all those hours learning and discovering dimensional magic worth if you can’t do this now. _ I do some quick guesstimations and take a breath. My eyes meet Luz’s and I give a determined nod.  _ Now or never. _ With a held breath, my right hand makes the circle and my left hand grabs Luz’s leg. As I finish the circle, I picture the house Luz showed me pictures of. The world goes blue.

“-please wake up!” The next thing I know, I’m being shaken. I open my eyes and see Luz crouched over me, “Oh thank god you’re awake!” Luz pulls me up and hugs me extremely tight, “You did it! We’re in the human realm!”

My body feels like it’s been dropped off a cliff, and my ankle is still in agonizing pain.  _ But I got Luz home right? _ I chuckle and look around.We’re next to a decrepit shack in a forest. 

I look back to her to see her nervously look at me, “You can get home again right? You didn’t trap yourself here for me, did you?”

I cast a light spell and smile, “I can go back, probably. Could take you too, if you want.” 

Luz smiles genuinely for the first time in a while, “I think I might. After I see my mami.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus our story comes to an end :)
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the ride, because I know I have!  
> A sincere thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you for reading this experiment of mine.
> 
> I think I'll keep doing this whole fanfic thing... Though next time I'll probably stay a little more in my comfort zone of prosy (young) adult angst :P  
> I plan to have another fic up soon(tm) so keep an eye out for that, but until then, I hope you all have a wonderful time <3
> 
> Twitter: @Hazardoustorm
> 
> PS. If you want an epilogue, let me know in the comments, I wasn't planning on one but might be able to be convinced otherwise :)   
> (just let me know what you all would want in it)


End file.
